Dealing with dogs with sensitive stomachs isn’t an easy feat, especially if they regularly experience symptoms. Seeing your dog vomit, experience diarrhea, or show signs of abdominal pain can be heart-breaking. Fortunately, you can prevent this from happening by giving your dog one of the best dog foods for upset stomachs.
This article will discuss everything you need to know about commercial dog foods for sensitive stomachs – from the signs to determine if your dog has a sensitive stomach to the factors to consider when selecting the best dog food for them.
How Can You Tell If Your Dog Has a Sensitive Stomach?
If your dog reacts negatively to their regular kibble, the first line of defense is to visit a vet. Vets have the necessary skills to properly assess the condition of your fur baby. Usual signs and symptoms that your dog has a sensitive stomach include:
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Excessive gas
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Signs of abdominal pain
What Type Of Dog Food Should You Give A Dog With A Sensitive Stomach?
According to experts, there are three types of dog foods that work best for dogs with sensitive stomachs, namely:
Limited Ingredient Dog Food
To determine what is exactly causing your dog to have digestive issues, feed them limited ingredient dog food. As the name suggests, this type of dog food contains fewer ingredients than most commercial dog foods. Usually, this dog food uses one source of novel protein (often from meat) and contains low to moderate levels of fat, and probiotics to aid healthy digestion.
If you’re leaning towards this direction, check the label and make sure that the dog food doesn’t contain any artificial colorings and additives. These ingredients can trigger symptoms in dogs with sensitive stomachs.
Hypoallergenic Dog Food
Hypoallergenic dog food is made from proteins and then broken down into amino acids, making them less detectable in your dog’s immune system. As a result, your dog will have lesser chances of experiencing any food allergies and other symptoms from the dog food.
Prescription Gastrointestinal (G.I.) Dog Food
Prescription G.I. dog foods are made specifically for canines with digestive problems and require a vet’s recommendation to purchase. Your vet will usually advise you to feed this type of dog food if your pet has been experiencing symptoms of stomach upset even after you’ve changed their diets.
How Should You Introduce New Food When Your Dog Has A Sensitive Stomach?
When your dog’s stomach is highly sensitive, you should never change their diet abruptly. Even if you feed them dog food for sensitive stomachs, making the change overnight can still cause several symptoms.
According to the American Kennel Club, you should feed them about 10% of their new dog food to 90% of their old dog food. If your dog doesn’t show any symptoms, you can continue increasing the proportions of the new dog food until the old dog food is out of the mixture.
What Are The Best Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs?
Finding the best dog food suitable for your dog’s sensitive stomach is challenging because your choice can significantly affect their day-to-day living and overall health. Pick the wrong dog food, and your dog’s digestive system will negatively react, causing your dog to experience symptoms.
If you still don’t have any idea what dog food to get for your dogs with sensitive stomachs, this section is for you. Here, we’ve listed down some of the best dog foods for sensitive stomachs and why they’re necessary to your dog’s diet.
Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Diet
Ideal for: Adult dogs and small breeds
Top ingredients: Brown rice, deboned turkey, turkey meal, oatmeal, and peas
If you’re a dog owner who has toy dogs with high energy but overly sensitive stomachs, Blue Buffalo’s Basics Limited Ingredient Diet is an excellent option. Thanks to its turkey and sweet potato recipe, feeding your pooch with this dog food can keep them energized for hours. This dog food also contains brown rice, oatmeal, and pumpkin, which makes it tasty and aromatic for canines.
Blue Buffalo’s Basics Limited Ingredient Diet is also made with the brand’s proprietary LifeSource Bits – a combination of selected antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals picked by animal nutritionists and veterinarians that support your fur baby’s overall health and wellness.
Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Canned Dog Food
Ideal for: Mature dogs (aged seven and up)
Top ingredients: Brown rice, beef, pork liver, carrots, and water
Similar to how puppies need specific vitamins and nutrients to support their growth and development, mature dogs also require extra love to keep them lean and healthy. The formula used in Hill’s Science ensures that your fur baby gets the highest quality of gourmet with real meat, brown rice, and a mixture of delectable ingredients, including carrots and peas.
Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets
Ideal for: Adult dogs
Top ingredients: Sweet potatoes, salmon, menhaden fish meal, potatoes, and cassava flour
The Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets is a premium dog food created by a team of board-certified clinical veterinarians, research scientists, and animal nutritionists that worked together to ensure that your dog gets the best meal despite having limited ingredients. This dry food contains cold water salmon, and sweet potatoes as sources of healthy carbs.
Unlike other dog foods, Natural Balance doesn’t have added peas, pea protein, legumes, corn, wheat, or soy, reducing your dog’s risks of a bad reaction.
Blue Buffalo Blue Divine Delights Pate Filet Mignon
Ideal for: Small dogs
Top ingredients: Beef, chicken, beef broth, potatoes, and chicken liver
This natural dog food was formulated by a team of veterinarians and Ph.D. nutritionists to ensure that your dog gets the best dog food for sensitive stomachs and prevents vomiting. The chicken-flavored formula of this dog food is backed by Blue Buffalo’s promise that they only use protein-rich chicken and don’t add wheat, corn, or artificial preservatives and ingredients to the mix.
Diamond Care Sensitive Stomach Formula
Ideal for: Adult dogs
Top ingredients: Chicken fat, egg products, potato protein, tomato pomace, and potatoes
Specifically formulated for dogs with digestive issues, this kibble is made with easily-digestible egg protein and potatoes as healthy sources of carbohydrates. This formula also contains good bacteria that are native to your dog’s digestive tract to promote digestion.
Hill’s Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach and Skin
Ideal for: Adult dogs
Top ingredients: Cracked pearled barley, chicken meal, yellow peas, chicken, and brewers rice
Aside from containing real chicken and prebiotic fiber that supports healthy digestion, the recipe of this dog food also contains vitamin e and omega-6 fatty acids that promote healthy skin. Feed your fur baby with this dog food, and they’ll look and feel good in no time!
Purina Pro Plan Puppy Sensitive Skin and Stomach
Ideal for: Puppies
Top ingredients: Canola meal, fish meal, barley, rice, and salmon
Puppies usually have highly sensitive stomachs, which is why you should be careful about what you feed them. Fortunately, the Purina Pro Plan line can help as it contains salmon and rice – ingredients that are easy to digest. This dog food also has live probiotics that promote gut health and omega-6 fatty acids and vitamin A, which are excellent for your pup’s healthy skin and coat.
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Low Fat Dog Food
Ideal for: Adult dogs
Top ingredients: Chicken by-product meal, natural flavors, wheat, barley, and brewers rice
If your dog usually struggles to digest their kibble or tolerate fat, this dog food is your best bet. Although this one has low-fat content, it still contains the essential vitamins and minerals necessary for your dog’s nutritional requirements.
Royal Canine Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Low Fat Dog Food has highly digestible proteins and probiotics, as well as soluble and insoluble fibers. These ingredients work together to support your dog’s digestive health. This dog food is by prescription only, so make sure to ask for your vet’s recommendation and approval if you want to buy this.
Hill’s Prescription Diet I/D Digestive Care Low Fat
Ideal for: Puppies and adult dogs
Top ingredients: Pork by-products, turkey liver, pork liver, water, and rice
Another dog food that requires a vet’s prescription, Hill’s Prescription Diet I/D Digestive Care Low Fat, is an excellent option for canines who struggle to process proteins in their bodies. It has healthy levels of antioxidants that support a healthy immune system, omega-3 fatty acids to aid gastrointestinal recovery and coat health, and probiotics for improved gut health.
What makes this dog food stand out is that it contains ginger that can help calm and soothe your dog’s sensitive tummy. Ginger also helps normalize your fur baby’s high blood pressure, so they remain healthy for years.
Canidae Grain-Free Pure Dry Dog Food
Ideal for: Adult dogs
Top ingredients: Sweet potatoes, peas, lamb meal, lentils, and bison
Just because your dog has a sensitive stomach doesn’t mean that they have to stick to a bland diet and no longer enjoy meat. With this limited formula from Canidae, your dog can finally enjoy meat and experience all of its health benefits.
One of the top ingredients of this dog food is bison, which is a healthy source of protein for canines. Although this dog food only has nine additional ingredients, it’s enough to ensure that your dog gets a complete and balanced diet because it has the prebiotics, vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants that they need. It’s also grain-free, which lessens your dog’s risk of food allergies.
Go! Sensitivities Limited Ingredient Diet
Ideal for: Adult dogs
Top ingredients: Lentils, peas, deboned duck, duck meal, peas, and tapioca
If you’re looking after several dogs with different breeds and sizes, this limited ingredient kibble is perfect. Its recipe is good for all breeds and sizes and is actually very affordable. The Go! Sensitivities Limited Ingredient Diet is also gluten-, grain-and potato-free, so you don’t have to worry about causing problems with your dog’s sensitive stomach.
The primary protein source of this recipe is deboned duck, so expect a lot of drooling when you feed this one to your fur baby. Drooling is a normal response to the food and isn’t a cause for concern.
Purina One Smartblend Large Breed Puppy Formula
Ideal for: Puppies (large breeds)
Top ingredients: Chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, rice flour, and chicken
For large breed puppies, you need to be very careful about what you feed them as they’re prone to upset stomachs. Fortunately, the Purina One Smartblend Large Breed Puppy Formula can make your life easier as a pet owner because its recipe is ideal for large breed puppies. It contains protein to support muscle development and several antioxidants, such as vitamin E, A, and zinc, to keep your dog’s immune system strong as they grow.
Solid Gold Leaping Waters Sensitive Stomach Grain-Free Gluten-Free Dry Dog Food
Ideal for: Adults
Top ingredients: Salmon, ocean fish meal, chickpeas, lentils, and chicken fat
One of the best dry foods you can give to dogs with sensitive stomachs is the Solid Gold Leaping Waters Sensitive Stomach Grain-Free Gluten-Free Dry Dog Food. This formula is nutrient-rich, grain-free, and packed with simple ingredients, such as cold-water salmon, peas, and chicken fat.
The recipe of this dry food contains a special blend of 20 superfoods that are easy to digest and protect your four-legged friend’s gut health. It also includes a healthy dose of omega-3s and omega-6s for your dog to have healthy skin and coat.
Talk To A Vet First
There are plenty of dog foods suitable for pups with sensitive stomachs. However, before you incorporate one into your dog’s diet, talk to a vet first. They can recommend the best dog food for your fur baby, ideal for their breed, age, size, and nutritional requirements. In fact, you should never change your dog’s diet unless approved by your vet.